The Historical Society of Andrew County was formed on March 17th, 1972, at the Rolling Hills Library in Savannah Missouri. In 1974, the Historical Society decided to start working towards having a museum. The Clasbey Community Center was newly constructed in 1976. One of the five main rooms of the Clasbey Community Center was dedicated to being used by the Andrew County Historical Society for a museum. The museum also decided to expand their collection to have the Marx Cabin, and in 1977 the Historical Society began preparations to move the cabin.

On Sunday April 30, 1989, the Harry F. Duncan building had it’s grand opening. It was a 10,000 square-foot building which included a proper place to store the museum’s collection and it also had many new exhibits. In 1994, renovations to the museum began, adding 4,500 square-feet to the museum. Allowing the museum to now have a proper space to hold events. An Evening in the West started in 1995, the event was about the Old West and was presented by cowboys. They did this through cowboy poetry, music, and sometimes theater, and it lasted until 2007. The Winter event started in 1996, and is still a major fundraiser for the museum. Citizens, clubs, and businesses from the community decorate Christmas trees for a raffle. Also, in 1996 the Historical Society changed their legal name to “Andrew County Museum and Historical Society”. Platte Purchase Days began in 1997, which was inspired by The Platte Purchase Centennial Celebration that happened in St. Joseph, MO in 1938. Platte Purchase Days was a yearly fundraiser for the museum. The event involved bringing the pioneer lifestyle back to life through crafts of that time.

The Orientation Area opened in 2006, and has been used to inform guests on the exhibits located in “A Rural Way of Life”. The museum’s first intern, Martina Smith began working in May 2007 and later joined the Andrew County Museum as a Collections Assistant to help complete the Rural Way of Life exhibit. The Grand Opening of “A Rural Way of Life” happened on October 4, 2009. It is a permanent exhibit on rural life in Andrew County. Trunk or Treat was started in 2014 in hopes to start a new tradition. This event continues to be popular with the community and brings it together in a friendly environment where anyone can dress up and have fun. Some of the other events the museum does now are the Tractor Event, Kids’ Camp, and the High School Scavenger Hunt.

This exhibit is meant to be viewed in chronological order. The events show the progression of the Historical Society and the Museum over time. Please view items starting at the top left to the right.

This online exhibit was compiled by the 2023 Summer interns; Audrey Meservey and Jerry Page.

Audrey Meservey: Is working on a bachelor's degree in History.

Jerry Page: Interning with the museum for a second time, after completing his 2021 Summer internship. He is working towards a Ph.D. in History.

Andrew County Museum and Historical Society History - Andrew County Museum